On January 31, 1986, Leonard B. Wilcox, a 37-year-old officer with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Police Services, was shot and killed at the Brecksville Veterans Administration Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, while attempting to question a man reported as suspicious. Officer Wilcox and his partner, Officer Mark Decker, were carrying only mace because of administrative rules. The man they approached, Justin A. Claytor, a 28-year-old Army veteran diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, produced a .45 caliber handgun and fatally shot Officer Decker; Claytor then chased and shot Officer Wilcox as Wilcox tried to run for cover.

Wilcox had two years of service with the VA Police and was survived by his wife and three children. He was described as kind and considerate and enjoyed painting and sketching. The killings prompted discussion about officer safety and protective measures.

Does anyone have memories of Wilcox, or information about that day at the Brecksville VA Hospital that could shed more light on the response and aftermath?